Maserati 5000 GT Allemano

Completed: 1964
Originally delivered: Spain
Original colour: Blu Sera (Fiat Code 439)
Original interior: Bianco

Maserati 5000 GT

Born in the late 50's, these hand-built Maserati 5000 and 170 mph GT’s were likely the world’s fastest production cars, the ultimate crown jewel for monarchs or industrialists. For those who produced these blistering bolides, the Italian design houses and prestige constructors like Maserati and Ferrari acknowledged masters of custom coachwork game. The more famous and prestigious the client, the better it fired the willingness to offer the highest performance engines with direct roots into motor sport and to clothe these automobiles with the very finest Italian design out of the hands of renowned artists like Allemano, Pinin Farina, Carrozzeria Bertone, Frua, Touring, Ghia and Michelotti.

The 5000 GT was the car of the “Elite” of the 60’s when introduced in 1959 and soon acquired an almost mythical reputation. Only 34 of the 5000 GT’s were built on special order through early 1964.

The first 5000 GT # 103 002 was ordered and specially built with a One-Off design by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan for the Imperial Highness Shah of Iran, Muhammed Reza Pahlevi.
Following the initial presentation of the Shah’s new purchase some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential people desired the 5000 GT. These included the Italian industrial Magnate Giovanni Agnelli # 103 008, Alfonso Lopez Mateos, the president of Mexico # 103 022, Aga Khan # 103 060, Briggs Cunningham # 103 016, a famed sportsman who won the America's Cup, competed at Le Mans in the early 50's with his own cars, and was currently campaigning Maserati's mid-engined Tipo 63 and front-engined Tipo 151, Basil Read # 103 004 was also among others.

One of the demands by the first owner and one of the promises by Maserati was to achieve with the new born legend a top-speed of 280 km/h which was an astronomical ambition to fulfil in the late 50's. The heart and soul to achieve this matter was the implanting the 5000 GT four-cam engine which was almost identical to the fierce V-8 used in the 450 S racing thoroughbred.
The Maserati 450 S with their mighty 4.5 l four cam engines in the hands of the most capable race drivers of its time, like Manual Fangio and Briggs Cunningham, it achieved the maximum speeds and best lap times in the
Grand Prix races around the globe. The Tipo 103 engine of the 5000 GT born from competition have had the racing engine’s gear drive, Weber carburetors, similar sized valves and aluminum heads and engine block. In fact, the only real difference was a lower compression ratio just to reduce the stress for the engine being used as a road car. But to minimize the difference from the original 4.5 l race unit, Maserati decided to increase the bore and stroke slightly to a total displacement to 4.935 ccm. This was good enough to receive a power output of 360 bhp. Guerino Bertocchi, the famous Maserati works test driver, confirmed the mission as being accomplished by mentioning that he slightly exceeded the 280 km/h.

To make the Tipo 103 V-8 more useable and refined, the bore was decreased by 4.5 mm to 94mm, while its stroke was increased by 8 mm to 89 mm. The later built units received the new Lucas indirect fuel injection system instead of Webers and the overhead cams complex gear drive gave way to a simpler and quieter chain.

"If anything can be said against this fabulous car, it is only that these speeds are too easy, everything is smooth and quiet. At 170 mph the car seems to be doing 90 mph and I feel that without a skillful driver at the wheel this effect could be disastrous." noted in America's "Sports Car Graphic" by famous Hans Tanner in 1960 after his test drive with the new driving machine.

The 5000 GT was undeniably “the” landmark Maserati, likely the world’s fastest production car from 1959 – 1964. It was a milestone for Maserati and was very influential on future Maseratis. It also marked a turning point in Italian auto history, signaling the end of the custom coachwork, “fuori serie” era.

Maserati 5000 GT # 103 058 Allemano

On 20 th December 1963 the Spanish Maserati distributor Auto-Paris of Barcelona visited the Maserati factory and placed an order for a Maserati 5000 GTI Allemano in Blu sera met. (FIAT code 439) with white leather upholstery, wire wheels, seat belts, air conditioning, limited slip differential headrest for the passenger seat and for delivery within April 1964. This was going to be the Maserati 5000 GTI # 103 058. On 2nd April 1964 # 103 058 was shipped to Auto-Paris with the note “car to be shown in the Valencia Fair from 1st to
20th May 1964". The first owner of the car was Joaquim Valls of Barcelona.

The Maserati 5000 GT # 103 058 is the 4th last Maserati 5000 GTI produced by the works and it is just one of only 22 cars having received the bodyshape by Allemano.

It seems that the 5000 GT was located in Spain until the late 80's while it was offered for sale in 1989 at well-known GTC in Marseille. From then on it was exposed in an Automobile Museum in South of France.
In April 2010 it was displayed at the Techno Classica in Essen, Germany where it found a new home at one of the new modern era car collectors.

In 2018 the owner decided that the time had come to restore the 5000 GT professionally. We received the order to execute a complete and painstaking nut and bolt restoration going to the limits of what is possible today and whatever the cost would be. The challenge was to restore it to the best imaginable condition.

The first step was to disassemble the car part by part and create a detailed list of what needed to be done. We realized that very little had been done in the last 50 years to preserve # 058 GT alive. We needed to
replace lots of metal sheets of the bodywork because of its condition. It received at least the necessary ground up work to be able to reassure that the whole body appears now in like new condition. The bodywork alone took 1 ½ years at our body shop, with a labour time summing up at 1.365 hours. After the essential bodywork, underneath it was perfectly painted before starting to reassemble the suspension and brakes. The exterior paint in its original delivery colour Blu sera metalizzato had been carried out to match the highest expectations someone could have. The gaps and paint work are incredible and easily good enough to win any Concourse d’Elegance on the planet.

The whole work for the interior, dashboard, headliner and trunk compartment were entrusted to CARaClassic e.k. which is without any doubt the best address in Germany to carry out the upholstery to the highest possible
standard. The cosmetics are in absolutely like new condition today.

For the mechanical side of things, the work was commissioned to the Hamburg based and specialized company Thomas Steinke Sportwagenservice. Thomas is known for his ability to carry out the most challenging projects by fulfilling the highest expectations. He took care for the complete overhaul of engine, gearbox, differential and steering box. The work carried out within two years exceeded 150.0000, - Euros which is an equivalent today at 175.000, - USD. The engine achieved on a dyno test a staggering 360 bhp. The gearbox being rebuilt is shifting gears smoothly and the differential is doing its job flawlessly without any noise or vibration
coming out from the drive train.

Before implanting the engine into the car, the whole engine compartment was perfectly painted and detailed. It looks like new.

The result of the whole adventure restoring the Maserati 5000 GT # 103 058 is amazing. We are proud to confirm that it appears today in absolutely like new and even better condition. It took us three years and easily more than 4000 hours of labour in daytime and countless hours of thinking in nighttime to meet or even exceed the expectations of its owner.

We can confirm today: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

We sadly have to admit that we exceeded as well the owners expectations regarding the costs of this incredible adventure. The invoices for bodywork, upholstery, rebuilding engine, gearbox and diff, disassembling,
assembling and detailing work totaled in invoices approximately 685.000, - € which is an equivalent of 800.000, - USD. The whole work carried out is documented step by step with 1200 photos of its restoration and a countless number of invoices.

Difficult to imagine that any of the 5000 GT received such an amount of work and love to bring it back to its glory.

Needless to say, that it runs, drives and sounds as it should. Recent test drives have shown an incredible machine which is amazing fast and exceptional beautiful.

This is the perfect example of a Maserati 5000 GT.

If there is any serious Maserati collector seeking the finest restored Maserati 5000 GT, we could only recommend to step in and inspect our car.